Record seasonal sales due in Antequera's mantecado bakeries

The last three months of this year bring Antequera in the north of Malaga province the scent of cinnamon and a new type of tourism: discovering the town while purchasing mantecados. Fifteen establishments producing these small cakes employ 372 people, with a record forecast of 6,512 tonnes of Christmas treats this season.

Between August and October, all workshops start production, following companies that operate year-round. This predicted amount surpasses previous years: 5,725 tonnes (2023), 5,933 tonnes (2021) and 6,283 tonnes (2024) - the previous record. Extended sales calendars, new ovens and growing domestic and international sales push production beyond 6,000 tonnes for the second time.

Year-round producers like Sancho Melero (3,700 tonnes, 115 employees - global leaders producing over half of all mantecados), Artesanías de Antequera and Torcadul consider expanding campaigns into January-February. Seasonal specialists include Delicias de Antequera, La Perla and San Pancracio, while convents like Belén and Las Descalzas produce bienmesabes year-round.

Antequera shares with Estepa a tradition dating to the 16th century, when Andalusian surplus flour and lard sparked production in religious convents. Town chronicler José Escalante notes the first documented mantecado recipe appears mid-18th century in municipal archives. La Castaña became official supplier to King Alfonso XII's royal household in 1881, proving quality that opened national markets that continues today.